I don't believe this is specified by national electrical code.
What is your concern?

No code like that in my area. BUT, it only makes sense to have a switch immediately adjacent to where you enter a room so that you can turn the light on when you enter the room or off when you leave. Having to trip through a dark room at night because your switch is at the other end of the room leads to bruised shins and hips. I know. :)

Are you stuck on switch placement?

If you posted your final plan again, we could brainstorm.

I haven't redone my graph paper layout but have the one Buehl helped with, which is very close to what we'll have.

We'll likely put a wall oven in part of the pantry area.

The possible switch locations are

1. On the side of the island
or
2. On the opposite side of the laundry wall - next to the 24" cabinet.

My DH may be able to squeeze a light switch into the support next to the pantry, but w/o going through the attic, I'm not sure if there is enough physical room in the support. If we are able to put one in we'll still need to keep the one by the laundry and place a new switch by the dinette. The last remodel we had we put some extra switches in and some we rarely ended up using...I don't want to go overboard this time.

Aloha- If you put a wall oven next to the fridge, are you going to have space left for a landing area? Will someone be sitting at that end of the island? Just curious where you plan to put hot baking pans.

As for the light switch, can you have two switches...one on the laundry wall and one on the other end of the range run, by the breakfast nook? This way you could turn on the light from either side and the same with turning it off, at night. We have that in our kitchen (as does my mom) and it works really well :)

Lavender, I was going to use the island as the landing area for the frig and wall oven. In my old kitchen though I had a 2' landing area on the same wall as the wall oven, I typically used the island instead. This time though it won't be directly across, so as you are pointing it out, perhaps it would be the best spot. What do you think?

We are already planning at least 2 switches. The one by the dinette is absolutely going in. If I'm only going to have 1 on the other side, I wanted to ensure that it was within code to just have the one by the laundry entrance.

Another vote for there is no standards. Our house was wired by someone on massive loads o' crack.

Our layout is similar to yours, except we have a u-shaped kitchen and an island. The cabinets come around the corner and butt up against the fridge. We have a walkway where your pantry is located. The switch for the lights over the sink is located on the other side of the wall behind the refrigerator even though there is a 3ft wide wall with a switch for the disposal on a column right by the sink. We have lights on a soffit above the cabinets with about 6 halogen bulbs, but I don't think the lights are even wired up.

I actually met the guy who was in charge of building in the massive subdivision in the 1980s. He said his one regret was not keeping on top of things to make sure they were done right. Yup, I agree!!

Najames, you have to laugh or you'd start crying over the craziness of professionals sometimes.

Last house that from the 90's we had 2 overhead lights switches 4' away from each other and none at the other entrance. I hear (and have experienced) enough things that I cringe at the thought of getting "help" with projects.

Well, this may not fit your look, but I'd put the oven on one side of the range counterspace and maybe a coffee bar or pantry, on the other. If you made the windows 30" you would have enough space for taller 30" appliances/cabinets, on the ends.

The fridge on the little wall seems to work fine and you could keep that as pantry space or add a prep sink and have a little bar area.

Now, I love to bake, so a baking area, landing area for hot pans and plenty of room to roll out dough is very important to me. I don't know how much you bake and if you're planning to have the cooktop only or range and this is your second oven. Just an idea :)

Yup, gotta laugh or check in at the sanitarium like RP McMurphy on One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

This whole house is filled with loonyness, much didn't meet code. We had a new water heater installed and the guy scratched his head, code requires a shut off switch, but there was none. Plumbing at the pool pump was routed so it blocked the motor and couldn't be serviced. Cabinets are installed much too low, and they left a small hole in the wall at the end of the cabinets as a bonus. Closet shelves fell off under their own weight with nothing on them. I haven't even gotten to the handiwork by the previous owner's wife, mirror tile backsplash glued over switch plates, "decorative painting" solar tube covers so no light got through, you get the idea.

I'm getting ready to replace cabinets and am afraid of the voodoo I'll find behind them. We just replace the fridge and our jaws hit the floor seeing the crap work they'd done behind it. Think about taking a bucket of sheet rock compound and spreading with your hand to cover a 12" hole(?) and you'd be close. I'll bet we rip off all the sheetrock and start over.

Jim

Lavender, we considered exactly that, but felt like we were giving up way too much, two much smaller countertops, smaller windows, and made the kitchen seemed small. Thanks though for thinking about it.

Lavender, I've gone in and out of baking moods, so I have to definately have a kitchen that is condusive to baking or I'll hardly ever get in the baking mood. You had my DH and I out this am testing the oven to landing area. We're anticipating a pivot and step to land whatever we are using the oven for. We both think that this is an acceptable range. Thanks again for making us go through those steps, because I wouldn't want to get started on the construction and find an oops.

Najames, we had Budweiser cardboard boxes covering our vents. Is it just me, but I don't think that would pass with a lousy inspector - perhaps though Coors :) The neighbor down the street had their basement remodeled so when the hot water heater goes out (and you know it will someday), wall will literally have to be taken down -- I'll put my money on that a permit was never pulled.

"We had a new water heater installed and the guy scratched his head, code requires a shut off switch, but there was none."

If the electrical panel is within sight of the water heater the breaker in the panel is the shut off.

No additional shut off is required.

Would a switch at the end of the counter run where it says '30" counters' make sense?

Aloha- Since you're doing a 'trial run' or step/pivot...is this your only oven? Will this work as well, with a Thanksgiving turkey as it will a pan of cookies? Also, are you landing on the working part of the island, or the seating part?

You know I'm not trying to be difficult, but I do want to make sure this kitchen functions, as well as it looks :)

Palimpsest, there is a dinette to the right of the kitchen, so absolutely yes! Making a round trip 28' walk to turn the overhead kitchen light for dinner is a royal, you know what. I thought if this crazy electrical layout was approved, having just one switch on the left side of the kitchen should be OK. I just don't want to assume anything though.

Aloha- I know you really like your plan, but just for the sake of argument, I want to show you one more alternative...probably very similar to one of your earlier versions.

This has the pantry and ovens on either side of the sink, with huge window. Still have room for a few upper cabinets, if you want them and the cooktop on the island. I made the seating area a bit deeper, since a cooktop can be a bit more hazardous.

The fridge is in the same place, with a microwave next to it. If you only plan to have one oven, then you could put the microwave above it and have something like this cool coffee area there, instead. I put this picture in because it has the dark cabinets, white countertops and stainless appliances. I think a white cooktop would look great on the island, with maybe white quartz counters. Just another idea, so disregard if you don't like it :) {{!gwi}}From Kitchen plans
{{!gwi}}From Kitchen plans

If I read your layout right, you are putting in a range in addition to the wall oven. I'd guess that the wall oven would not get frequent use, so you don't need to sweat the details quite as much for it as if it were your only one.
If I read it wrong, then never mind....

Here's another picture, with shelves on either side of the window. Again, just another idea :)
{{!gwi}}From Kitchen plans

Thanks Lavender, but we really like the 2 windows for many reasons. My DH was even more reluctant then I to give up the large single window but now that we have, we can't imagine going back the other way. The pic you shared in another thread though, I'm strongly considering for our basement summer/holiday kitchen.

Diannalo, actually Buehls rendition isn't exactly what we will have. I haven't drawn up the latest and her's is very close. We would have a cooktop only where the range would go. The wall oven would shrink the pantry. The main pantry will be in the laundry and this will now be a secondary one.

Aloha- Then the two windows will look amazing! If you can function well, with the oven by the fridge, I think you'll be very happy. I know what you mean about a picture in your head (LOL) which is why I'm stuck with bunnies on my backsplash! :)